Sheet registering mechanism for sheet fed printing presses



May 14, 1957 I j-ms 2,792,221

SHEET REGISTERING MECHANISM FOR SHEET FED PRINTING PRESSES Filed May 10,1955 a Sheets-Shet 1 IN VEN TOR.

H.,J. LUEHRS 2,792,221

May '14, 1957 SHEET REGISTERING MECHANISM FOR SHEET FRI; PRINTINGPRESSES Filed May 10, 1955 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 m T N E m ATTORNEYS May 14,1957 2,792,221

SHEET REGISTERING MECHANISM FOR SHEET FED PRINTING PRESSES Filed May 10,1955 H. .I. LUEHRS 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 ALI i r m INVENTOR .mumnlum W SSATTORNEYS H- J. LUEHRS May 14, 1957 SHEET REGISTERING MECHANISM FORSHEET FED PRINTING PRESSES Filed May 10, 1955 J 6 Shets-Sheec 4 INVENTORATTORNEYS May 14, 1957 H. J. LUEHRS 2,792,221

SHEET REGISTERING MECHANISM FOR SHEET FED PRINTING PRESSES Filed May 1QI1955 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTOR ATTO RNEYS SIEET REGISTERING MECHANISMFOR SHEET FED PRINTING PRESSES Hans J. Lnehrs, Westerly, R. 1., assignorto The Cottrell Company, Westerly, R. L, a corporation of DelawareApplication May 10, 1955, Serial No. 507,331

16 Claims. (Cl. 27148) My invention is directed to improvements in sheetregistering mechanism for sheet fed printing presses, and particularlyto novel means for side registering and guiding the sheets.

One object of my invention is to provide a novel side guide whichincludes a reciprocating gripper and a stationary side stop locatedbetween the coacting sheet gripping members, and particularly betweenthe sheet gripping surfaces of the said gripping members; the gripperbeing operable to pull a temporarily arrested sheet laterally intocontact With the side stop, with a positive, quick action withoutmarking, crushing or otherwise distorting the sheet.

Another object is to provide means for adjusting the pressure exerted bythe gripper members on the interposed sheet.

Another object is to provide means for causing the gripper members toexert a powerful bite on the sheet while the sheet is being pulledlaterally into register with the stationary side stop, and yetpositively confine the side registered sheet as the gripper completesits side registering movement in frictional contact with the sheet.

Another object is to provide means for changing the dwell of the gripperbite on the sheet being side registered.

Another object is to provide novel means for reciprocating the gripperand for actuating the gripper members.

Another object is to provide a reciprocating gripper which is not onlypositive in its action but requires no sensitive nor fine setting oradjustment for its proper functioning.

Another object is to provide a side stop which is thinner than thethickness of the sheet being treated, to allow the sheet to be firmlygrasped by the gripper without contacting the side stop.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 represents a diagrammatic side elevation of a multi-color rotaryprinting press and its sheet feeding and delivery mechanisms;

Fig. 2 represents a detail top plan view showing two oppositelypositioned duplicate side guides with a sheet located between theirreciprocating gripper members, the sheet being shown as pulled laterallyinto contact with the side stop of one of the said side guides;

Fig. 3 represents a side view, partly broken away, of the side guide andits adjacent elements, showing the front sheet stop which end registersand temporarily arrests the sheet, and also the pinch rolls for feedingthe end and side registered sheets to the printing press;

Fig. 4 represents an end view of the side guide and its adjacentelements;

Fig. 5 represents a considerably enlarged vertical section taken in theplanes of the line VV of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 represents a detail vertical section, on an enlarged scale, takenin the plane of the line VI--VI of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 represents a detail vertical section, on an ennited States Patent70 ness.

larged scale, taken in the plane of the line VIIVII of Fig.4;

Fig. 8 represents a detail view, in side elevation on an enlarged scale,of the reciprocating sheet gripper of the side guide with the sheet incontact with the stationary side sheet stop, and

Fig. 9 represents a top plan view of the same.

The sheet fed rotary printing press which I have chosen to show inconnection with the new side guide, is denoted by It. The sheet feedingmeans is shown as including the usual endless carrier 2 and the feedboard 3.

The front sheet stop for end registering the sheets, is denoted by 4 andit may be operated by any well known or approved means (not shownherein) for temporarily arresting the sheets while they are being sideregistered.

Means, as coacting pinch rollers 5 and 6, are shown for forwarding thesheets to the printing press after they have been both end and sideregistered.

The endless carrier '7 may be used for delivering the printed sheetsfrom the printing press to a predetermined point or points.

The main press frame is denoted by 8 and the laterally adjustableauxiliary frame which forms part of theside guide unit is denoted by 9.

As the side guides are alike, one only will be specifically describedherein. The side guide is shown as including a stationary side sheetstop 16 which may be a strip of suitable material, as steel, of therequired thick- The side guide also includes a reciprocating gripperhaving upper and lower members 11 and 12 with their sheet gripping pads13 and 14, between which gripper members the sheets are fed one at atime along the feed board 3. It will be noted that the side sheet stopit) is slightly thinner than the sheet being handled so that the sheetstop will not interfere with the coacting surfaces of the grippermembers as they complete their outward sliding movement.

The upper gripper member 11 is hinged to a lug 15 uprising from thelower gripper member 12, preferably by means of an eccentric pivot pin16.

The lower member 12 is shown as slidable in a groove 17 in the top ofthe auxiliary frame 9, the gripper surface of lower pad 14 being flushwith the top of the feed board 3 to permit the unrestricted passage ofthe sheet into and out of the said gripper surfaces when the gripper isopened. The ends of the side stop 10 may be secured to the top of theauxiliary frame 9 in line with the feed board 3 at both sides of thegripper by the bolts 10* and clamping blocks 10**.

The gripper pad 13 of the upper gripper member 11 is arranged to coactwith the gripper pad 14 of the lower gripper member to grasp the sheetwith a predetermined pressure when the gripper is closed, sufiicient topull the sheet laterally into register with the stationary side stop 10.These coacting gripper surfaces of the gripper members are ofconsiderable area so as to provide an extended contact with the saidsheet.

The means which I have shown for reciprocating the gripper is shown asincluding the following elements:

A cam shaft 18 is rotatably mounted in the auxiliary frame 9 and a boxcam 19 is keyed on said shaft. The groove 20 of this cam receives theroller 21 which is carried by an arm 22 depending from the lower grippermember 12.

The means which I have shown for opening and closing the gripper membersis as follows:

A pair of coacting cams 23, 24 are mounted on the cam shaft 18, one ofwhich cams is rotatably adjustable with respect to the other cam by thebolts 25 and grooves 26. A cam roller 27 which engages said cams iscarried by a rock lever 28 pivoted at 29 on the auxiliary frame 9.

This rock lever 28 is provided with an element 30 which contacts thebottom end of a vertically disposed spring pressed plunger 31, which isslidably mounted in a housing 32 of the auxiliary frame 9 and anelongated slot 33 of the lower sliding member 12. The coil spring 34surrounds the plunger 31 within the housing 32 for yieldingly pressingthe plunger onto the contact element 30 to keep the roller 27 in contactwith its cams 23, 24.

A roller 35 is carried by the lugs 36, which depend from the uppergripper member 11, which roller travels back and forth along the flattop of the plunger 31, as the gripper reciprocates.

The means tending to close the gripper members with a predeterminedpressure, is shown as a vertically adjustable rod 37 having its lowerend screwed into a lug 38 uprising from the lower gripper member 12.This rod 37 extends upwardly through the upper gripper member 11. A coilspring 39 is located around the rod 37 between theadjustable knob 40 ofsaid rod and the upper gripper member 11.

More or less pressure may be applied to the upper gripper member bymeans of the adjustable knob 40.

The means which I have shown for adjusting the auxiliary frame 9laterally in the main frame 8 to properly position the said guide forsheets of different widths, is as follows:

The auxiliary frame 9 has an interlocking sliding engagement with themain frame 8 as by providing the main frame with a pair of undercuttracks 42, 42 for receiving the pair of projecting bottom slides 43, 43of the auxiliary frame. A cross bolt 44 is threaded through the pair ofuprising arms 45, 45 of the bracket 46. A pair of bolts 47, 47 arefixedly mounted in the auxiliary frame 9, and pass through and aresecured to the uprising arms 45, 45 of the bracket 46.

A suitable tool (not shown) may be used to removably engage the angularend 48 of the cross bar 44 for turning it to adjust the auxiliary frameto the required position.

The means which I have shown for locking the auxiliary frame in thisadjusted position comprises the hand lever 49 threaded on one of thebolts 47 and connected by a rod 50 to an arm 51 threaded on thecorresponding end of the other bolt 47. The rocking of this lever 49serves to clamp slides 43, 43 of the auxiliary frame to the tracks 42,42 of the main frame 8.

In the present instance the sheets are shown as being fed in overlappingrelationship, the end and side registered sheet a being shown as beingfed to the press, the temporarily arrested end registered sheet b asbeing located in the side guides and the sheet c as approaching the sideguides.

In operation, each side guide is brought into its proper position forthe width of sheet being registered, by the lateral adjustment of itsauxiliary frame, which frame is then locked in such position. Thereciprocating gripper of one side guide has its sheet embracing membersgrasping the sheet with sufficient pressure to pull the sheet laterallyinto register with its stationary side stop 10, while the sheetembracing members of the opposite side guide are caused to contact thesheet with a lesser pressure to exert resistance on the sheet to keepthe sheet even. After the sheet has been side registered, the pressureon the sheet is reduced until the gripper completes its stroke and thenreleased to permit the side registered sheet to be advanced to the pressby the pinch rolls and 6 as soon as the front stop 4 is withdrawn.

If the other side guide is to be used to side register the sheet, thedifferential pressure exerted by the two grippers are reversed.

In some instances, where heavy sheets are to be treated, a combined pushand pull effect on the sheet is accomplished by causing the grippermembers of both side guides to exert the desired high pressures on thesheet. In this case the cam 19 for the gripper is 180 displaced so bothgrippers work in one direction instead of in op- Iposite'direc'tions.

In some instances also the sheet may be side registered by the use ofonly one of the side guides. It will be noted that by providing a sidestop of lesser thickness than the sheet being treated, the stop may beplaced between the gripping surfaces of the gripper members withoutbeing contacted by the members when high pressure is applied on thesheet. This positioning of the side stop also causes it to assist thegripper members in positively confining the sheet successfully.

It is evident that various changes may be made in the construction, formand arrangement of the several elements without departing from thespirit and scope of my invention, and hence it is not intended to belimited to the particular embodiments shown and described herein.

What I claim is:

1. In a sheet registering mechanism for sheet fed printing presses, asheet confining side guide including a reciprocating side gripper havingupper and lower sheet embracing gripper members with coacting sheetgripping surfaces, and a stationary side stop located permanentlybetween the said coacting sheet gripping surfaces, and means for causingthe gripper members to grasp the sheet and pull it laterally with apredetermined pressure into register with said side stop.

2. In a sheet registering mechanism for sheet fed printing presses, asheet confining side guide including a reciprocating side gripper havingupper and lower sheet embracing members with coacting sheet grippingsurfaces, and a stationary side stop located permanently between thesaid coacting sheet gripping surfaces, and means for causing the grippermembers to grasp the sheet and pull it laterally with a predeterminedpressure into register with said side stop before the gripper membersreach the limit of their stroke and to remain in frictional contact withthe sheet during the remainder of said stroke of the gripper members.

3. In a sheet registering mechanism for sheet fed printing presses, asheet confining side guide including a reciprocating side gripper havingupper and lower sheet embracing members with coacting sheet grippingsurfaces, and a stationary side stop located permanently between thesheet gripping surfaces, and means for causing the gripper members tograsp the sheet and pull it laterally with a predetermined pressure intoregister with said side stop before the gripper members reach the limitof their stroke and to remain in frictional contact with the sheetduring the remainder of said stroke, said side stop being thinner thanthe sheet being handled.

4. In a sheet registering mechanism for sheet fed printing presses, asheet confining side guide including a reciprocating side gripper havingupper and lower sheet embracing members with coacting sheet grippingsurfaces, and a stationary side stop located permanently between thesaid sheet gripping surfaces, means for causing the gripper members tograsp the sheet and pull it laterally with a predetermined pressure intoregister with said side stop, and means for changing the dwell of thegripper bite on the sheet.

5. In a sheet registering mechanism for sheet fed printing presses, asheet confining side guide including a reciprocating side gripper havingupper and lower sheet embracing members with coacting sheet grippingsurfaces, and a stationary side stop located between the said sheetgripping surfaces, means for causing the gripper members to grasp thesheet and pull it laterally with a predetermined pressure into registerwith said side stop, and means for adjusting the side guide laterally tohandle sheets of different widths.

6. In a sheet registering mechanism for sheet fed printing presses, asheet confining side guide including a reciprocating side gripper havingupper and lower sheet embracing members with coacting sheet grippingsurfaces, and a stationary side stop located permanently between thesaid sheet gripping surfaces, means for causing the gripper members tograsp the sheet and pull it laterally with a predetermined pressure intoregister with said side stop, means for adjusting the side guidelaterally to handle sheets of different widths, and means for lockingthe side guide in its adjusted position.

7. In a sheet registering mechanism for sheet fed print ing presses, apair of oppositely disposed sheet confining side guides, each side guideincluding a reciprocating side gripper having sheet embracing membersand a stationary side stop located permanently between the grippermembers, means for causing the gripper members of one side guide tograsp the sheet and pull it lateral!" in one direction with apredetermined pressure into register with its side stop, and means forcausing the gripper members of the opposite side guide to travel in theopposite direction and to frictionally engage the sheet with a lesserpressure to exert a restraining effect on the said shee 8. In a sheetregistering mechanism for sheet fed printing presses, a pair ofoppositely disposed sheet confining side guides, each side guideincluding a reciprocating side gripper having sheet embracing membersand a stationary side stop located permanently between the said grippermembers, means for causing the gripper members of one side guide tograsp the sheet and pull it laterally in one direction with apredetermined pressure into register with its side stop, and means forcausing the gripper members of the opposite side guide to travel in thesame direction and to grasp the sheet with a predetermined pressure toexert a pushing effect thereon in the same direction.

9. In a sheet registering mechanism for sheet fed printing presses, asheet confining side guide including a reciprocating side gripper havingupper and lower sheet embracing members with coacting sheet grippingsurfaces, a stationary side stop located permanently between the saidsheet gripping surfaces and cam operated devices for causing the grippermembers to grasp the sheet with a predetermined pressure and pull itlaterally into register with said side stop.

10. In a sheet registering mechanism for sheet fed printing presses, asheet confining side guide including a reciprocating side gripper havingsheet embracing members with coacting sheet gripping surfaces, astationary side stop located permanently between the sheet grippingsurfaces, a rotary cam means and devices operated thereby for causingthe gripper members to grasp the sheet with a predetermined pressure andto pull it into register with said side stop.

11. In a sheet registering mechanism for sheet fed printing presses, asheet confining side guide including a reciprocating side gripper havingsheet embracing members with coacting sheet gripping surfaces, astationary side stop located permanently between the sheet grippingsurfaces, a rotary cam means and devices operated thereby for causingthe gripper members to grasp the sheet with a predetermined pressure andto pull it into register with said side stop, said rotary cam meansbeing adjustable to change the dwell of the gripper bite on said sheet.

12. In a sheet registering mechanism for sheet fed printing presses,sheet feeding means, a front stop for end registering and temporarilyarresting the fed-in sheet, and a side guide including a reciprocatingside gripper having upper and lower sheet embracing members withcoacting gripping surfaces, a stationary side stop located permanentlybetween the gripping surfaces and means for causing the gripper membersto grasp the temporarily arrested sheet with a predetermined pressureand pull it laterally into register with the side stop.

13. In a sheet registering mechanism for sheet fed printing presses, amain frame, sheet feeding means, a front stop for end registering andtemporarily arresting the fed-in sheet, an auxiliary frame and a sideguide carried thereby and including a reciprocating side gripper havingupper and lower sheet embracing members with coacting gripping surfaces,a stationary side stop located permanently between the said grippingsurfaces, and means for causing the gripper members to grasp thetemporarily arrested sheet with a predetermined pressure and pull itlaterally into register with the side stop.

14. In a sheet registering mechanism for sheet fed printing presses,sheet feeding means, a front stop for end registering and temporarilyarresting the fed-in sheet, a side guide including a reciprocating sidegripper having upper and lower sheet embracing members with coactingsheet gripping surfaces and a stationary side stop located permanentlybetween the sheet gripping surfaces of said gripper members, and meansfor causing the gripper members to grasp the temporarily arrested sheetwith a predetermined pressure and pull it laterally into register withthe side stop before the gripper members reach the end of their strokeand to remain in frictional contact with the sheet during the remainderof the stroke of the said gripper members.

15. In a sheet registering mechanism for sheet fed printing presses,sheet feeding means, a front stop for end registering and temporarilyarresting the fed-in sheet, a side guide including a reciprocating sidegripper having upper and lower sheet embracing members with coactingsheet gripping surfaces and a stationary side stop located permanentlybetween the sheet gripping surfaces of said gripper members, means forcausing the gripper members to grasp the temporarily arrested sheet witha predetermined pressure and pull it laterally into register with theside stop before the gripper members reach the end of their stroke andto remain in frictional contact with the sheet during the remainder ofthe stroke of the said gripper members, and means for changing the dwellof the gripper bite on the sheet.

16. in a sheet registering mechanism for sheet fed printing presses,sheet feeding means, a front stop for end registering and temporarilyarresting the fed-in sheet, a side guide including a reciprocating sidegripper having upper and lower sheet embracing members with coactingsheet gripping surfaces and a stationary side stop located permanentlybetween the sheet gripper surfaces of said gripper members, means forcausing the gripper members to grasp the temporarily arrested sheet witha predetermined pressure and pull it laterally into register with theside stop before they reach the end of their stroke and to remain infrictional contact with the sheet during the remainder of the stroke ofthe said gripper members, and means for opening the grippers after theyhave completed their said stroke.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS945,304 Cole Jan. 4, 1910 971,991 Gustafson Oct. 4, 1910 1,066,528Randolph July 8, 1913 1,439,804 Ehlig Dec. 26, 1922 1,466,660 King Sept.4, 1923 2,129,567 Danielsson Sept. 6, 1938 2,555,913 Backhouse June 5,1951 2,730,362 Kock Jan. 10, 1956

